If you have an interest in the First World War and have visited some of the British battlefields you will, sooner or later, want to find out about the experience of the French soldiers and study some of their battles. The Allies’ experience of the advantages and pitfalls of coalition warfare has a particular resonance today and a visit to Verdun raises many questions.

Why Verdun? How did French and German military thinking affect their strategies? How and why had the ring of forts been built and why did Joffre denude the defences of men and guns? Why was Petain, ‘the saviour’ kicked upstairs and what was the long and short term effect of his replacement by Nivelle? And how did the actions around Verdun affect the British in July 1916.

Accompanied by Dr. Graham Dunlop this tour traces the progress of the battle and looks at the key areas of the Verdun battlefield including the Meuse heights, the ring of forts, large and small, and the appalling conditions for the men on both sides. We discuss the personalities and strategies of both sides, see how the French army was trained and how it fought; in the initial attack, then under the careful and practical command of General Petain. And what was the result when General Nivelle took command?

We will trace the progress of the battle, from Lieutenant Colonel Driant’s command post in the Bois des Caures to mighty Fort Douamont. On the right bank of the Meuse travelers will have the opportunity to walk from Thiaaumont to the abri des quatre cheminees and the ouvrage of Froidterre. On the left bank we will visit the aptly named Mort Homme, now thickly forested , but described at the time as looking like an erupting volcano because of the sheer weight of shellfire hitting it. We will have time to visit one of the ‘destroyed’ villages, a German military cemetery behind their front line and the great Ossuary at Douamont.

France’s Unknown Soldier was chosen from unidentified bodies which had been taken from the battlefield, to the citadel of Verdun. We will visit the cemetery, which was the final resting place for those who came so close to immortality. On leaving Verdun we will drive down the ‘Voie Sacree’ the logistic lifeline which enable the French to sustain this terrible battle.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Friday): Depart Victoria Coach Station, London 08:45. Cross the channel by le Shuttle. Drive to Verdun where will stay for 3 nights in the famous Coq Hardi hotel. It is a long journey but talks by our historian will set the scene for the following days.
Day 2: The opening stages – Colonel Driant and his chasseures in the Bois des Caures and the taking of Fort Douamont. Walk the poignant ‘street’ of the destroyed village of Fleury and visit the splendid museum. Group lunch. The heroic resistance at Fort Vaux and a visit to the heights overlooking the Woevre plain towards Metz. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 3: The battle extends to the left bank – the appalling struggles for the heights of Mort Homme and Hill 304. Lunch break in Verdun. Back to the right bank to try to get to grips with the final attacks and counter attacks of the summer, from Thiaumont and Quatre Cheminees to Froidterre. Visit the Ossuary and the French cemetery on the outskirts of the city. Dinner in the hotel.
Day 4: Drive down the Voie Sacree to Souilly, where Petain had his Headquarters, then on to Rheims where we can find lunch. We cross the channel by le Shuttle and will arrive near Folkestone at approx 18:00 and London at approx 20:00.